This invention relates to electronic data processing systems and in particular to a data processing system having means for selectively providing an audible sound.
Electronic systems for producing audible sounds in response to the operation of an input device such as a keyboard or the like are well known in the art. Such systems typically include a solenoid or other transducer device which produces a "clicking" or "beeping" sound in response to an electrical signal indicative of the operation of a keyboard or other input device. Some electronic calculators include sound generating devices for producing an audible sound each time an input key is pushed. Other types of calculators have keyboards with snap-action key switches which give the user a tactile sensation each time a key is pushed. None of these systems, however, provides both an audible and a tactile feedback to the user each time the input device is operated.
Data processing systems such as electronic timepieces and timekeeping calculators having time and alarm functions are also known in the art. Many electronic timepieces and timekeeping calculators have an audible alarm function which is settable to go off at a particular time. In such devices, the alarm must be preset by the user and no audible sound is generated during the interim, such as in a mechanical or electromechanical timepiece from which a ticking sound emanates every second during operation.